How to start a NEMT business in Louisiana: MediTrans, Verida, and the LDH rules
Louisiana Medicaid rides run through two brokers. MediTrans coordinates NEMT for all five Healthy Louisiana health plans, and Verida handles members still on fee-for-service Medicaid. You contract with either or both, pass their credentialing, and register in the Medicaid Enrollment Portal. The state rules in LDH's transportation manual set drivers at 21 or older, require for-hire plates and annual broker vehicle inspections, and set a fee-for-service rate floor that brokers may pay above but not below.
Louisiana NEMT at a glance
- Runs the program
- Louisiana Department of Health (LDH)
- Program
- Louisiana Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT)
- How rides are arranged
- Health plans each contract a broker. Each Healthy Louisiana plan contracts a broker, and all five use MediTrans. Verida arranges and pays for fee-for-service trips.
- Brokers you will contract with
- MediTrans, Verida
- State operating license
- No statewide NEMT license. Vehicles need a "for hire," "public," or "public handicapped" plate, Orleans Parish requires a CPNC, and Jefferson Parish requires an NEMT permit.
- EVV for NEMT trips
- Not required
- Medicaid enrollment
- 1,275,658 (May 2026, Medicaid and CHIP)
On this page
How Medicaid NEMT works in Louisiana
LDH covers NEMT under the Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 50, Part XXVII, Chapter 5, and spells out the day-to-day rules in chapter 10 of its Medicaid provider manual, last reissued July 14, 2025. NEMT here means non-ambulance trips only; non-emergency ambulance transportation has its own rules in the same chapter. Stretcher vans are not an allowed NEMT vehicle type.
Most members are in managed care, and each Healthy Louisiana plan arranges rides through a transportation broker. All five plans (Aetna Better Health of Louisiana, AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana, Healthy Blue, Humana Healthy Horizons, and Louisiana Healthcare Connections) contract MediTrans. Members excluded from managed care stay on fee-for-service, where Verida (formerly Southeastrans) authorizes and pays for the rides.
Members are expected to give at least 48 hours' notice, except for urgent trips and hospital discharges. Brokers must check eligibility and confirm that the trip starts or ends at a medical facility before scheduling. They assign the least costly provider that meets the member's level of service, and they honor the member's choice when costs are equal, favoring a provider based in the member's LDH region. Providers bill the broker, not LDH, within 365 days of the date of service.
Governing rule:Louisiana Medicaid Provider Manual, Chapter 10: Medical Transportation (issued July 14, 2025)
Who brokers Medicaid rides in Louisiana
Two brokers cover the state. LDH lets you contract with one or both, but no broker has to accept every provider that applies.
| Broker | Serves | Provider sign-up |
|---|---|---|
| MediTrans | All five Healthy Louisiana plans: Aetna Better Health of Louisiana, AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana, Healthy Blue, Humana Healthy Horizons, and Louisiana Healthcare Connections. All 64 parishes. | Provider page844-349-4326 (choose the plan's option) |
| Verida | Fee-for-service ("legacy") Medicaid members and other groups outside managed care, statewide. | Provider page225-726-2800 |
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan left Louisiana Medicaid on March 31, 2026. Its members moved to other plans on April 1, 2026, so the state now has five plans.
Rides for nursing home residents and people in ICF/IID facilities are part of the facility's per diem, not NEMT. Adults in ICF/IIDs get non-emergency ambulance trips through fee-for-service.
Gas reimbursement is its own provider class for friends and family who drive a member. A gas reimbursement driver may not live at the member's address and may serve no more than five members across the fee-for-service broker and all health plans, unless more than five of them share one household.
MediTrans measures network providers against 95 percent on-time performance, a 98 percent trip completion rate, complaints on fewer than 2 percent of trips, and provider-caused no-shows on fewer than 1 percent.
How to become a NEMT provider in Louisiana
You enroll through a broker rather than directly with LDH, but LDH writes the credentialing checklist the brokers must enforce.
Form the business and line up the documents
Brokers collect an ownership disclosure form, an NPI in the business entity's name, the IRS CP 575 (or 147C) showing your EIN, and a matching W-9. The legal name must match every document, including the signage on your vehicles. Each NEMT company must meet the rules on its own, even when one owner runs several.
Louisiana Medicaid Provider Manual, Chapter 10: Medical Transportation
Get plates and local permits
Register every vehicle in the company's name with a "for hire," "public," or "public handicapped" plate. In New Orleans, get a Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience from the Orleans Parish Taxicab Service and Enforcement Bureau for the company, each driver, and each vehicle. In Jefferson Parish, get the NEMT permit from the Jefferson Parish Emergency Management Office for each.
Register in the Medicaid Enrollment Portal
LDH requires every NEMT provider to register in the Louisiana Medicaid Provider Enrollment Portal, and to check the portal for any required registration dates.
Apply to MediTrans, Verida, or both
Request an enrollment packet from each broker you want to work with, and plan to cover every part of each parish you serve. MediTrans starts with a letter of intent to providers@meditrans.com, then driver background checks through its vendor, insurance certificates, document uploads, and orientation and portal training. It quotes two to four weeks from letter of intent to activation, with trip offers starting 24 to 48 hours after that.
Pass the broker vehicle inspection
The broker inspects each vehicle before its first trip and every year after, with photos of signage, the inspection sticker, plate and VIN, the seat belt cutter and extinguisher, and a vent temperature reading. Wheelchair vehicles also need photos of a secured chair. The broker then applies its dated decal.
Know the rates before you sign
LDH's fee schedule is the floor. A broker may pay more but not less unless your provider agreement says otherwise. From October 1, 2025, the schedule pays $13.50 per trip leg plus $1.10 per mile for ambulatory trips and $21.50 plus $1.30 per mile for wheelchair vans, with a new $31.50 base for wheelchair trips that need a higher level of care.
Vehicle and driver requirements in Louisiana
LDH's manual sets the standards and makes the brokers enforce them. MediTrans adds its own document and insurance requirements on top.
Vehicles
| Requirement | State rule | Broker contract |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership and registration | The provider owns or leases each vehicle, registered in the company's name. Providers may not share vehicles, even under common ownership. | MediTrans collects registration, the inspection report, the insurance declarations page, and interior and exterior photos. |
| Plates and local permits | "For hire," "public," or "public handicapped" plate (La. R.S. 45:181 and 49:121). Orleans Parish CPNC and Jefferson Parish NEMT permit where you operate, with copies sent to the broker before a new vehicle is used. | Same. |
| Equipment | Clear windshield, current Louisiana inspection sticker, working air conditioning and heat front and rear (vent readings no warmer than 52°F on cooling and no cooler than 100°F on heat), working seat belts, a seat belt cutter within the driver's reach, a charged fire extinguisher, and the broker's inspection decal. | Same. |
| Signage | Provider name, phone number, and vehicle number on the driver side, passenger side, and rear of vans, never on windows. In Orleans Parish the CPNC number is the vehicle number. | Same. |
| Vehicle types | Stretcher vans, two-door vehicles, pickup trucks, and salvage-title vehicles are not allowed. Wheelchair vehicles meet ADA rules for lifts, ramps, and tie-downs. | MediTrans asks for ADA compliance documents for wheelchair vehicles. |
| Inspections | Broker inspection before first use and annually, documented electronically with photos. LDH and brokers may run unannounced compliance reviews, and providers may not refuse them. | MediTrans warns that providers who fall out of compliance lose their standing orders until a corrective action plan is complete. |
Drivers
| Requirement | State rule | Broker contract |
|---|---|---|
| Age and license | At least 21, with a valid Class D or commercial license, plus parish permits in Orleans and Jefferson. | MediTrans collects a copy of each driver's license. |
| Driving record | Fewer than three moving violations and no DWI conviction in the past three years. | Same. |
| Criminal history | Annual check by the Louisiana State Police, an LSP-authorized agency, or the FBI, sent straight to the broker, with no convictions for prohibited crimes under La. R.S. 40:1203.1 to 40:1203.7. | MediTrans runs driver background checks through its approved vendor, which takes five to seven business days. |
| Drug testing | Five-panel drug screen at least every year and on reasonable suspicion, sent straight to the broker. After a failed test, a return-to-work clearance and three follow-up screens over six months. | MediTrans collects drug test results. |
| Training | Before the first trip: four hours of defensive driving (renewed every three years), in-person CPR, child passenger restraint use, wheelchair securement and PASS (renewed every two years, in person if your fleet has wheelchair vehicles), and HIPAA. | MediTrans collects defensive driving and CPR and First Aid certificates. |
| Accidents and incidents | Report every motor vehicle accident to the broker within 72 hours, including a drug screen taken within 12 hours, and send the police accident report within 15 business days. Report any death or injury of a member in your care within 72 hours. | Same. |
| Conduct on duty | No alcohol within four hours before duty, no impairing drugs, and no marijuana, including medical marijuana, while driving. Door-to-door help on request. | Same. |
Insurance minimums in Louisiana
LDH's manual sets the auto floor and the policy terms. MediTrans requires much higher limits in its contract.
| Coverage | Minimum | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Auto liability | $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident bodily injury, $25,000 property damage, with symbols 7, 8, and 9 or 2, 8, and 9 | LDH Medicaid Provider Manual, section 10.3 |
| Policy terms | Certificate names the vehicle as NEMT, a 30-day cancellation notice goes to the broker, and LDH is an additional insured on auto and general liability | LDH Medicaid Provider Manual, section 10.3 |
| General liability | Required where a local ordinance requires it | LDH Medicaid Provider Manual, section 10.3 |
| Workers compensation | As required by Louisiana law | LDH Medicaid Provider Manual, section 10.3 |
| MediTrans contract | $1,000,000 per occurrence commercial auto liability, general liability, and workers compensation (or an approved waiver), with MediTrans as certificate holder | Broker contract |
Does Louisiana require EVV for NEMT?
No. Louisiana's EVV system, run through the Louisiana Service Reporting System, covers Medicaid personal care services and home health services. NEMT is not included.
Brokers check NEMT trips against an electronic daily trip log that for-profit and non-profit providers must keep, sorted by date: trip ID, the member's name, Medicaid ID, address, and signature, the destination and facility, departure and arrival times, the driver's name, and the vehicle's VIN. A claim without a matching log entry is not paid. Gas reimbursement drivers submit a form signed by the driver, the member, and the medical facility.
What changed in Louisiana in 2025 and 2026
Louisiana had 1,275,658 people on Medicaid and CHIP in May 2026 (CMS preliminary data). Since UnitedHealthcare's participation ended on March 31, 2026, five health plans cover the managed care population, and all five route rides through MediTrans.
LDH sets service standards the brokers enforce on providers. Members arrive at least 15 minutes and no more than two hours before the appointment, are picked up within two hours of the appointment ending or of a will-call request, and ride no more than one hour beyond the estimated travel time. Hospital discharges are picked up within three hours of notice or two hours after the scheduled discharge, whichever is later. Brokers must allow standing orders for recurring treatment such as dialysis, chemotherapy, opioid treatment, and wound care, and should keep a standing order with the same provider when costs are equal.
The fee schedule changed on October 1, 2025 with a new $31.50 base rate for wheelchair van trips that need a higher level of care. The ARPA NEMT bonus program, which paid qualifying credentialed providers $500 per vehicle a month for up to three vehicles, ends September 30, 2026, with final payments on October 31, 2026.
LDH reissues chapter 10 of the Medicaid provider manual, the NEMT and ambulance rules.
A new fee schedule adds a $31.50 base rate for wheelchair van trips that need a higher level of care.
LDH Informational Bulletin 26-3 announces UnitedHealthcare's exit from Louisiana Medicaid.
UnitedHealthcare's participation ends. Its members move to other plans on April 1, 2026.
The ARPA NEMT bonus payment program ends.
Final ARPA bonus payments go out to NEMT providers.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the NEMT broker in Louisiana?
- MediTrans coordinates NEMT for all five Healthy Louisiana plans: Aetna Better Health, AmeriHealth Caritas, Healthy Blue, Humana Healthy Horizons, and Louisiana Healthcare Connections. Verida handles fee-for-service Medicaid. The MediTrans provider line is 844-349-4326 and Verida's is 225-726-2800.
- Do I need a license to run a NEMT business in Louisiana?
- There is no statewide NEMT license, but every vehicle needs a "for hire," "public," or "public handicapped" plate in the company's name. New Orleans requires a Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience for the company, drivers, and vehicles, and Jefferson Parish requires an NEMT permit. You also register in the Medicaid Enrollment Portal.
- How old do NEMT drivers have to be in Louisiana?
- At least 21, with a valid Class D or commercial license, fewer than three moving violations and no DWI in three years, an annual criminal history check, and an annual five-panel drug screen. Drivers also complete defensive driving, in-person CPR, child restraint, wheelchair securement and PASS, and HIPAA training before their first trip.
- What insurance does a Louisiana NEMT provider need?
- LDH requires auto liability of at least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage, with LDH as an additional insured and a certificate that names the vehicle as NEMT. MediTrans requires $1,000,000 per occurrence in commercial auto liability plus general liability and workers compensation.
- How much does Louisiana Medicaid pay for NEMT?
- The LDH fee schedule effective October 1, 2025 pays $13.50 per trip leg plus $1.10 per mile for ambulatory trips, $21.50 plus $1.30 per mile for wheelchair vans, and $31.50 plus $1.30 per mile for wheelchair trips that need a higher level of care. Gas reimbursement pays 36 cents a mile. Brokers may pay more than the schedule but not less, unless the provider agreement says otherwise.
- Can I use a stretcher van for Louisiana Medicaid NEMT?
- No. Stretcher vans are on LDH's list of vehicle types not allowed in the NEMT program, along with two-door vehicles, pickup trucks, and salvage-title vehicles. Non-emergency ambulance transportation is a separate benefit with its own rules.
- Does Louisiana require EVV for NEMT?
- No. Louisiana EVV covers personal care and home health services. NEMT trips are checked against the electronic daily trip log that brokers require from every for-profit and non-profit provider.
- What happened to UnitedHealthcare NEMT trips in Louisiana?
- UnitedHealthcare left Louisiana Medicaid on March 31, 2026, and its members moved to other plans on April 1, 2026. Because every remaining plan uses MediTrans, a MediTrans contract covers all managed care trips.
- How quickly must Louisiana NEMT providers pick up hospital discharges?
- Within three hours of the facility's notice or two hours after the scheduled discharge time, whichever is later. After appointments, members must be picked up within two hours of the visit ending or of a will-call request.
Running NEMT in Louisiana with HealthRide
Louisiana brokers hold providers to tight windows: two hours after an appointment or a will-call, and three hours for a hospital discharge. HealthRide keeps flexible return trips on the dispatch board so they activate the moment the passenger is ready, and the live map shows late warnings before a window slips.
The driver app captures signatures on screen, and the trip log with departure and arrival times exports as CSV or PDF for broker reviews.
Official resources
- LDH: Medical transportation provider resources
- Louisiana Medicaid Provider Manual, Chapter 10: Medical Transportation
- Louisiana Medicaid: Medical transportation manual revision log
- Louisiana Medicaid: NEMT fee schedules
- LDH Informational Bulletin 26-3: UnitedHealthcare transition
- LDH: Electronic Visit Verification (EVV)
- MediTrans: Louisiana non-emergency medical transportation
- MediTrans: Transportation providers
- UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Louisiana: Provider home
- CMS: State Medicaid and CHIP applications, eligibility determinations, and enrollment data
HealthRide plans the whole day in one click and bills every ride.
$59 per vehicle per month. No contracts.